Love Survives
by Nerdman3000
Summary: *SPOILERS* Alternate Ending to AC Unity in which Elise lives rather than dies.


**Summary: **_*SPOILERS* Alternate Ending to AC Unity in which Elise lives rather than dies._

**Author's Note: **_I absolutely loved AC Unity, but I did think Elise's death at the end of the game was completely unnecessary. I felt they killed her off just for a tragic ending and to maybe set up the upcoming Dead Kings DLC(where presumably Arno will feel depressed about Elise's death), and a possible Napoleonic Wars sequel. Ubisoft really likes killing off the females in pairings I like, like Ezio/Cristina and Edward/Mary._

_This alternate ending doesn't change much, it just switches Elise being dead to Elise being alive. It's meant to be a simple alternate ending. I don't really intend to have more chapters though, unless I decide to follow it along with an alternate version of the Death Kings DLC where Elise is alive._

_Although I will say that I can't wait to get the AC Unity novel by Oliver Bowden, as it follows Elise's POV of the events of the game, like the AC Forsaken novel followed Haytham's POV. That should hopefully be good._

_Reviews are of course appreciated._

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><p><strong>Love Survives – Assassin's Creed Unity<strong>

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><p>"ELISE!"<p>

The pain in his chest burned, but he ignored it as he ran to the woman he loved. As Germain's golden 'sword' glowed, Arno Victor Dorian only began to fear the worst, as the energy that seem to be contained in the sword blew out, throwing Elise and Germain away from each other in an explosion of golden light.

Whatever force from that mysterious 'sword' that Germain wielded had pushed her back with such a force that he could only pray to whatever divine ruler, if one truly existed, that he might spare her from the embrace of death.

Arno screamed her name as he began to kneel by Elise's fallen form, panic setting in deep within him. Checking her pulse, he was relieved to find that she was breathing, if only barely.

A sigh of relief ran through him at the realization that she was indeed alive.

He looked in her face, bloody and bruised from the force of the explosion that had injured her. The former Assassin softly ran his thumb on her lip, whipping away the blood that smeared it.

Just as Arno was about to leave and bring Elise to get treatment, a pained gasp erupted from behind him. Arno turned to see only that Germain still lived.

The exiled Assassin felt a wave of anger course through him. For five years he had hoped for redemption of stopping Mister de la Serre's killer, yet the main still lived haunting the lives of both himself and the woman he loved.

He knew getting Elise to a doctor right now was the most important thing he could do, but he also knew that if he let Germain live, Elise would only try to hunt him down again, and this endless cycle would continue. Arno knew that next time, Elise might not be as lucky to survive.

Making his choice, Arno went to Germain, unleashed his hidden blade, and assassinated him, and closed his eyes, entering the world of Germain's memories.

_Arno opened his eyes to find himself in Germain's workshop. The man himself sat on a stool, working to create the very thing that began this whole journey: the weapon that killed Mister de la Serre. Yet as the man began to feel pain before strange symbols of golden light, like the ones from the strange 'sword' that Germain had wielded._

"_Bravo. You've slain the villain." Arno turned around to find Germain standing behind him. "That is how you cast this little morality play in your mind, isn't it?"_

"_How..." Arno began to ask before Germain answered, "Oh, I'm not really here. I'm not really there either." Pointing to the past version of himself on the tools bench. "At the moment I'm bleeding out on the grand floor of the Temple, but it seems the Father of Understanding has seen fit to have given us this time to talk."_

_Suddenly the memory changed, and Germain, or at least the version of him from the past, lay kneeling in the center of the Grand Temple, opening some type of mechanism in order to retrieve a book._

_Germain though, the one who was speaking to him, only continued, "Ah. A particular favorite of mine. I did not understand the visions that haunted my mind, you see. Great towers of gold, shinning cities as white as silver. I thought I was going mad. Then I found this place," waving his arm around to indicate the Temple, "Jacques De Molay's Vault. Through his writings, I understood."_

"_Understood what?" Arno finally asked._

"_That somehow, through the centuries, I was connected to Grandmaster De Molay. That I had been chosen to purge the Order of the decadence and corruption that set in like a rot. And to wash the world clean, and restore the truth the Father of Understanding intended."_

_As the memory changed once again to show Germain's exile from the Templar order by Mister de la Serre. Arno looked to him and commented, "That seems to have gone over well."_

_Germain only chuckled, answering, "Prophets are seldom appreciated in their own time. Exile and abasement forced me to reevaluate my strategy. Find new avenues for the realization of my purpose."_

_Arno turned to find many of his former targets kneeling in front of a vestige of Germain. Arno felt a spark of anger at the scene, turning to Germain, "No matter the cost?"_

"_A new order never comes without the destruction of the old. If men are made to fear to fear untrammeled liberty, so much the better. A brief taste of chaos will remind them of why they crave obedience." Germain as a guillotine loomed over them._

_The memory changed, now showing only moments before. It shows an uninjured Elise battling Germain, as the light from his sword blasted them both away from each other._

"_It appears here is where we part ways. Think on this: the March of progress is slow, but is its as inevitable as a glacier. All you have accomplished is to delay the inevitable. One death cannot stop the tide. Perhaps it will not be my hand that shepherds mankind back to it's proper place, but it will be someone's. Think of this when you remember her."_

_Arno glared at him, "She still alive! You failed in that regard."_

_Germain only laughed, "It matter's not whether she lives or dies. All that matters is if you'll take my lesson to heart."_

Like a noise of thunder, Arno returned to the real world. Sighing, he turned away from Germain's corpse and went to Elise. Picking her up, he placed a light kiss on her forehead and began to carry her out of the Temple.

"Arno?" Elise painfully muttered.

Looking down at her, he simply said, "Sleep my love, it's all over now."

It was indeed over. All Arno could hope was that it stayed that way.

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><p><em>The Creed of the Assassin Brotherhood teaches us that nothing is forbidden from us. Once, I thought this meant we were free to do as we would. To pursue our ideals, no matter the cost.<em>

_I understand now. Not a grant of permission. The Creed is a warning._

_Ideals too easily give way to dogma. Dogma becomes fanaticism. No higher power sits in judgment of us. No supreme being watches to punish us for our sins. In the end, only we ourselves can guard against our obsessions. Only we can decide whether the road we walk carries too high a toll._

_We believe ourselves redeemers, avengers, saviors. We make war on those who oppose us, and they in turn make war on us. We dream of leaving our stamp on the world…even as we give our lives in a conflict that will be recorded in no history book._

_All that we do, all that we are, begins and ends with ourselves._

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><p><em><strong>Three Months Later<strong>_

Arno found her at the Cimetière des Saints-Innocents, kneeling over her father's grave. She had abandoned her Templar outfit, now simply wearing a dress, a couple of flowers held tightly in her hand. Placing them before her father's grave, Elise stood and finally turned to him.

The both of them were silent for a moment, before she broke the silence, "It's all over isn't it? For five years all I wanted was revenge, and now…now I feel nothing."

"Elise…" he began but she turned away from him.

"How much are we going to lose? Our fathers, my order, your brotherhood, all taken from us. Am I going to lose you as well?"

Arno stepped toward her and pulled her into his arms as five years' worth of hardship finally crashed down on them both.

He looked down on her before he began, "We have each other, and that's all that really matters. Whatever road we walk, we walk it together. For us, and for our future," He touched the small bump on her stomach, where their child grew, "In the end, that's all that matters."

Elise looked at him for a moment, before she leaned forward and kissed him softly. He kissed back, and after they broke apart, the two began to walk away from her father's grave, together.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>_I hope you enjoyed. I'm not really completely back to writing fully though. I might expand this oneshot a bit, and add a little more to the final scene. This one-shot was done a bit quickly as I just beat the game yesterday and felt that I had to write this. Please review if you can though._


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